In recent days we have all been deeply saddened by the most recent gun violence that was inflicted upon the citizens of Boulder, Colorado, the senseless murders of innocent victims going about their day, doing normal things like shopping at the grocery store. But doing something so common to us all resulted in ten innocent people losing their lives for no reason other than there was a madman loose with an automatic weapon who, as a spokesperson described the suspect, was “having a bad day.” Sadly, he decided to take out his “bad day” on ten total strangers, including a policeman, using his recently purchased AR-15 type weapon.

You might ask, what does this have to do with pro-life? Well, I’ll tell you. The same politicians who proclaim their political pro-life position, not to mention their law-and-order position, appear to be the exact same politicians who refuse to outlaw automatic weapons like the AR-15 and other high-capacity automatic guns. It seems to me that the pro-lifers only care about life before a child has taken its first breath. Once breathing and living after birth, their life has no value at all and no longer needs protection. Again, these same politicians refuse to help a woman who may be financially unable to take care of a child, or perhaps she’s living in dangerous and life-threatening circumstances herself and the possibility of child rearing will be, in her assessment, impossible. Welfare is frowned upon for her and may be denied; access to other social support networks is unclear or may not be available. So, once the child is alive, these pro-lifers back away and refuse to take any responsibility, financially or otherwise, and make it clear to the mother that she’s on her own to sink or swim with a new baby.

So, what does pro-life really mean? Does it apply only to a fetus in utero? It has become commonplace for children to be shot to death in their school rooms—as in Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, and other schools—by deranged people wielding high-powered automatic weapons. Peculiar, don’t you think, that the pro-life stance doesn’t include people who are actually already living? So much hypocrisy! Any politician who refuses to support legislation to ban the AR-15 and similar automatic weapons needs to be voted out of office. Life is life!

What can you do to help protect children from gun violence? Here are a few places to start:

1. Join and/or donate to the Children’s Defense Fund at http://www.childrensdefense.org. Click on Priorities, and then click on Gun Violence.
2. Contact your congressional representatives and demand that they support President Biden’s gun control actions: As stated on the White House website, “President Biden is reiterating his call for Congress to pass legislation to reduce gun violence. Last month, a bipartisan coalition in the House passed two bills to close loopholes in the gun background check system. Congress should close those loopholes and go further, including by closing ‘boyfriend’ and stalking loopholes that currently allow people found by the courts to be abusers to possess firearms, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, repealing gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and investing in evidence-based community violence interventions. Congress should also pass an appropriate national ‘red flag’ law, as well as legislation incentivizing states to pass ‘red flag’ laws of their own.” Use the U.S. congressional member locator to find your U.S. House representative and U.S. senators. Just go to the middle section, click on either “Representatives” or “Senators,” and enter your address in the block marked “Find your member by address.”
3. Recommended reading: Children Under Fire: An American Crisis, by John Woodrow Cox. This finalist for the Pulitzer Prize describes some of the short- and long-term effects gun violence has on children.

—Kay Adams, Professional Visitation Monitor, Pasadena resident, LWV-PA member

Editor’s note: The League’s position on commonsense steps to reduce gun violence was recently submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee in a statement by CEO Virginia Kase. The Violence Project maintains a mass shooter database, and The Washington Post maintains a database of police shootings. These and the resources listed above may be of use to those doing research to support the League’s advocacy positions.